Despite debt, Veterans Day Parade went on

This year’s Veterans Day Parade marched on, despite a budget deficit that created a $7,000… This year’s Veterans Day Parade marched on, despite a budget deficit that created a $7,000 debt for the city to cover the costs of the event.

City council, Allegheny County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania came to the rescue by providing funds for the parade, according to Alan Hertzberg, a councilman for the city of Pittsburgh.

Veterans had been worried that they would not be recognized this year with the annual Veterans Day parade.

“We fought to make sure there was [a parade],” said Joe Iacono, a member of the Vietnam Veterans Inc. and a writer for the group’s newsletter.

“Veterans won the freedom that allows you to stage parades,” Iacono said about the importance of recognizing those who fought for American freedom.

There are more than 26 million veterans in the United States and more than 250,000 veterans in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, according to the 2000 U.S. census.

The Veterans Day Parade is the one annual event that recognizes veterans for their sacrifices, which often affect the rest of their lives – more than 29 percent of all veterans are disabled.

At the parade, the group Veterans for Peace passed out flyers that urged an end to the current military campaign against Iraq.

“This is not the type of war they signed up for,” a member of the group, Sanford Kelson, said.

“It’s got something to do with oil and imperialism,” he added.

Despite the cool, rainy weather, the turnout for the parade was comparable to last year.